Invest in sports to curb violence – Christopher

In 2021, the Saint Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA) teamed up with a number of social partners to provide sporting equipment to the island’s sole penitentiary. The SLBA, along with Blackheart Productions, Rise Saint Lucia Inc., and other national sporting federations, donated gear for boxing, football, cricket, basketball, netball, and volleyball to the Bordelais Correctional Facility. Along with similar donations to the Saint Lucia Boys Training Centre, and the creation of coaching programmes for those two institutions, this was the genesis of the programme coing Hands On Gloves, Not On Guns. The initiative was the brainchild of SLBA president, David ‘Shakes’ Christopher, who says that in light of the growing prevalence of violent crime on island, social programmes and sporting interventions are more crucial than ever. “Sports changes people lives,” he opined to St Lucia TIMES. “It’s one of the most effective tools in changing people’s lives. Keep them occupied, keep them focused. Give them a goal, give them a sense of purpose. “And when we see people doing all kinds of things, investing money in certain areas to curb crime – it’s not rocket science. Sports is the way to go, because so long as you programme them in the...